Music to write by

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Some people must have silence to work, and others need noise.

I’m somewhere in between. Every day noise distracts me, but when I listen to music, I’m focused.

Music makes me happy.

That’s no surprise to those who’ve studied the effects of music on the brain. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m a better writer when I’m listening to music. Music inspires me.

When I’m writing, I listen to music which transports me back to 1895 small-town Texas. Not the songs of that time period. I think that would drive me crazy! The music in my ears has more to do with tone than historical accuracy.

I listen to music that creates a mood. A good story communicates the emotions of the characters. We readers want to feel their joy, sorrow, stress, and humor. But layering in those emotions can be tricky. That’s where music comes in.

I created a playlist of songs that help me as I write. These songs may have no meaning for anyone else, but to me, the emotions and images that flood me when I hear these songs inspire me to take my scenes a little deeper. I’ve categorized the songs by the mood they foster. Try some of them out and see if you have the same take on the music.

Why a playlist? 

These songs set the mood for certain scenes. My songs are mostly country/folk, but some are love songs, some are full of angst, some make me cry (Go Rest High on That Mountain is such a tearjerker!). When I go back to add flavor to scenes, if I’m listening to angsty songs, I’m able to make the scene more tender. 

But so far, I haven’t found anything to inspire funny words. If you have suggestions, send them my way. But as it stands, when I’m writing something humorous, the music’s off. 

Are these my favorite songs? Not necessarily, although I have several that are standard on my playlists, like Jericho, Sweet By and By, Stand Up, and Say Something. Each song makes me think or feel a certain way:

Jericho, for the spiritual struggle between good and evil

Sweet By and By, for its lullaby-like quality and love of family

Stand Up, an anthem for courage during hard times

Say Something, calling out injustice

My favorite these days: You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive, written by Darrell Scott. Nothing compares to the YouTube of Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton, and Patty Loveless performed at the recent CMA awards. There’s such a heightened emotion while they sing, proven by the CMA audience, who are compelled to stand while watching. There’s this raw, gritty, and tender quality to the storytelling as Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless sing about hard times in their home state of Kentucky. I can’t relate to the time, the situation, or the place…but when I watch the video, her Kentucky is mine. Her ancestors and their challenges are mine, as well. Her music makes the story personal. Check it out here. Even she is moved by the magic of the moment, mouthing “Wow!” to Chris Stapleton at the conclusion.

What Patty Loveless and Chris Stapleton brought to this story, I want to bring to mine. We have different modes of communication, but the same purpose—to move people.

If you’d like to know how to story can to be, go to it here.

What kind of music moves you? Leave me a comment, I’d love to know.

Texas Sheet Cake, in honor of Valentine’s Day

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Texas Sheet Cake Photo by Isabella on Unsplash

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Well, me.

Don’t get me wrong. I love some forms of chocolate, like Snickers bars and Turtles candy. But straight chocolate isn’t something I usually crave.

But Texas Sheet Cake is different. Have you tried it? It’s amazing! It’s moist and rich, and usually, a small piece will fill me up. Growing up, every time we visited my Aunt Bonnie, she made it. To this day, it’s her go-to sweet treat for visitors, which makes this recipe all the more special to me.

In honor of the month that sings the glory of chocolate and love, I thought I’d share the recipe with you. It’s not a quick and easy process, but it’s worth the time spent. And I guarantee, if you take this to a gathering, people will bow at your feet. Okay, maybe not quite. But they won’t stop talking about it, that’s for sure. And they’ll ask you for the recipe. Just send them here!

Texas Sheet Cake

You’ll need a saucepan; mixing bowl; a long cake pan (I use a glass casserole), greased and floured; measuring utensils; mixer

Preheat oven at 400 degrees

Cake

1 stick butter

½ cup Crisco

4 T cocoa

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour*

½ cup buttermilk*

2 eggs

1 t soda

1 t vanilla

1 t cinnamon

Icing

1 stick butter

4 T cocoa

1 t vanilla

6 or 7 T milk

1 box powdered sugar

Optional: coconut or pecans to sprinkle over the top

Directions for cake:

 Put butter, Crisco, cocoa, and water in saucepan. Boil until dissolved. Cool slightly. Sift flour, sugar, and soda together in mixing bowl. Pour the cocoa mixture over the sugar/flour/soda mixture. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour in greased and floured cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done (test by inserting toothpick in the middle; if it comes out clean, cake is done).

Directions for icing:

In saucepan, boil butter, cocoa, and milk for 1 minute. Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar. Add vanilla and optional ingredients. Spread on cooled cake.

Flour* If you desire this cake to be gluten-free, use 1-to-1 flour.

Buttermilk* If you don’t have buttermilk (I never do!), substitute ½ cup of milk +1/2 T vinegar or lemon juice, and stir.

Enjoy!

What a difference a word makes

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Have you chosen a word for 2023?

Some people consider the one word concept as a challenge, a hyper-focused path toward an overall goal.

For me, choosing one word for the year is more spiritually minded than simply chasing a desired outcome. I usually don’t have a lot of control over my one word because I feel it’s God doing the choosing. I’ve always thought He chooses one word for me because that will be the direction He leads me. Usually, when I realize what the word is, I’m a little puzzled. But by the end of the year, God has shown me why that particular word has significance in my life.

My word, and the verse I choose to go along with that word, is personal. It has a lot to do with where I’ve been and where God wants me to go.

Several years ago, after hearing multiple people refer to their word for the year, I chose one for myself and liked the way I saw God using it in my life. I’ve kept up the practice. There are some years where my word motivated me to be purposeful., One year, I forgot about it. Why? Because I think I kind of lost sight of myself. My days didn’t feel as intentional as I would have liked. I felt myself more in reaction mode than anything else, and that’s a lousy place to be. But once in that cycle, it’s hard to stop.

Until something causes you to put on the brakes. That happened to me just this week.

I realized that my word for 2022 had an enormous impact on my actions. But the thing is, I couldn’t even remember what the word was until I looked back at my calendar to find it. There, written alongside the verse I’d selected for the year, was the word, TELL.

“Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.”

Luke 8:39

I sat back for a moment and thought about the word TELL, especially within the context of my verse. That’s when it hit me. Though I’d forgotten my word, God still used it to show me His intentions. How? I launched my author’s newsletter, where I tell my readers about my life and my writing journey. A newsletter is a sure way to tell all that God has done for you.

Just because I’d lost my way didn’t mean God wouldn’t bring my word to reality.

So how do we choose just one word with a corresponding verse?

  1. Examine the past year. Look at your calendar, journals, and photos. Is there something you think God wants you to work on?
  2. Pray. Ask the Lord to reveal what He wants for you this year, and what word will best show that. Usually, by the time I get around to asking God to show it, the word has been on my radar for a while. But because God is often subtle, it takes a little while for it to set in.
  3. Write. Record your word in a place easy to access, like the front of your yearly calendar. List some synonyms that will broaden the meaning.
  4. Choose a verse. Not just any verse, but the right verse. It might be an under the radar kind of verse, but it makes sense in the context of the Bible passage as relating to your word and you can’t get it off your mind, it just might be the verse God wants you to apply to your life this year.
  5. Display your word and verse. Put them in a prominent place, easily seen. Index cards, graphics to put on the wall, or even your computer or phone’s wallpaper.

This activity allows us to practice listening to God. He will let you know when you arrive at the word He wants for you, along with the specific verse.

Pray that you will follow where He leads through this one word and one verse. And to make sure it stays on your mind, post your word and verse where you see it often. Meditate on it often and allow God to use it in your life in surprising and awesome ways.

My words and verses over the last six years:

2018: Tenacious, Hebrews 10:23

2019: Trust, Proverbs 3:5,6

2020: Believe, 2 Corinthians 4:13

2021: Run, Hebrews 12:1

2022: Tell, Luke 8:39

2023: Thankful, Colossians 4:2

What do you think about choosing your own word and verse? Have you done it before?

Christmas Recipes!

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Christmas at the Wells’ house means good food. Here are my three favorites! Try them and let me know what you think. Happy Christmas Cooking!


Green Chili Cheese Casserole
(Gingerbread and all the Trimmings Cookbook, Waxahachie, TX)

5 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup flour (GF: 1-to-1 Flour)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
10-oz cottage cheese
½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 stick butter, softened
1 small can chopped green chilies

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 8-inch square pan or small rectangular casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cut in squares to serve. Serves 6.

A Wells family favorite!



Strawberry Bread
(Gingerbread and all the Trimmings Cookbook, Waxahachie, TX)
(Make this gluten-free by using 1-to-1 flour)

3 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
2 cups strawberries, sliced (I use frozen)
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients together in a big mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, oil, strawberries, and nuts. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to moisten. Pour into 2 greased, standard-size loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour, and test with a toothpick or knife to make sure it’s done (toothpick/knife should come out clean). Let the loaves cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. When cool enough, slice generously and top with butter for a wonderful treat. Makes 2 loaves.



Bacon-wrapped Chicken Breasts
The secret to a stress-free Christmas Eve dinner!
(Victorian Sampler Cookbook, Eureka Springs, AR)

1 can dried beef (this comes in a tiny glass container, usually located in the canned meat section)
1 package bacon, regular sliced (not thick sliced)
6 chicken breasts (usually mine are frozen, but I’m sure fresh is fine)
2 Cream of Mushroom soup (I’m sensitive to MSG, so I use Pacific brand)
1 16 oz sour cream
2 cups rice, prepare according to directions on package

Place chipped beef in bottom of large casserole dish. Wrap each chicken breast with one or two slices of bacon. Place on top of beef. Mix soup and sour cream, then pour on top of chicken and beef. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until fork tender. Serve over rice.
Because the oven is at a low temperature, I put it in before Christmas Eve service, and it’s done when we get home. Super easy!

Thanksgiving

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I am always ready for Thanksgiving. It’s a great excuse to halt everything and gather with loved ones. This year I’m thanking the Lord for my family, my friends, and for His daily provision.

But I won’t lie, Thanksgiving cooking is a little stressful. I mean, come on. The sheer number of fancy side dishes boggles the mind and totally messes with the diet. But when else will we have an excuse to cook/consume such rich, fancy foods?

At my house, everybody brings a dish (or three) to add to the table. As the hostess this year, I’m not sure what I will prepare, besides the turkey and cornbread dressing (a staple in any Southerner’s celebration). We mostly have the same menu every year:

  • Turkey
  • Dressing
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Green Bean Casserole
  • Broccoli Rice Casserole
  • Sweet Potato Casserole
  • Squash Casserole (see any themes here?)
  • Rolls
  • Relishes, such as pickles, olives, pickled okra (Southern), and hot mix if you are a proper Wells
  • Cranberry sauce (jellied, from a can; it’s not Thanksgiving if the cranberry sauce isn’t served in uniform slices)
  • Salad of some sort; a guilt offering
  • Pies: pumpkin, gluten-free apple, and any other delightful flavor
  • Etc.

Surely I have left out some scrumptious delicacy. But this is enough to form a picture in your mind of rich food overflowing counters and tabletops.

While I am so thankful for the bounty of food, I’m triple thankful for the simple act of gathering. Because who doesn’t remember that not so long ago, in-person celebrations wreaked havoc, physically, mentally, or emotionally? I’m so thankful for hugs, for clasped hands around the table, and for having my people in close proximity.

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!